How to use the WSL subsystem to run Linux on Windows?

The Windows Subsystem for Linux provides developers with the ability to run a full-fledged Linux environment directly on the Windows operating system without the need for heavyweight virtual machines or complex dual-boot configurations. This solution ensures high performance, direct access to computer hardware resources, and convenient integration with the Windows file system.

To activate this feature, simply open a terminal with administrator privileges and run the specialized installation command. After the installation process is complete and the computer is rebooted, the system will automatically download and install the default Linux distribution, which is usually Ubuntu, prompting the user to set up a username and password for working inside the terminal.

The modern architecture version supports running Linux graphical applications and provides high file operation speeds thanks to the virtual disk architecture. Developers can easily access projects located on Windows drives by simply navigating to a special network directory from within the Linux environment, which blurs the boundaries between the two operating systems.

To efficiently manage installed distributions, command-line version and state management commands are used. Users can export ready-made environments, create backups of working environments, or switch between the first and second versions of the subsystem depending on the specific requirements of the software and libraries being used.